- 10 mins
- 2890 mins
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 cups of assorted vegetables
- 1 large Vidalia onion, quartered and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 of a red onion, quartered and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 1 large toe of garlic, sliced very thin
- 1 large cucumber, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 cup of sliced jalapeno
- 6 cups of apple cider or white vinegar
- 3 cups of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon of celery seed
- Pinch of kosher salt
Preparation
Step 1
Blanch any fresh, hard raw vegetables (such as cauliflower, carrots, fresh beans, okra and celery) by placing them into a large pot of generously salted, boiling water. Return to a boil and let blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and submerge colander immediately into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside. Mix together the onions; pack by layers divided evenly into sterilized jars, beginning with the sliced onion mix, garlic slices, cucumber, jalapenos, and layers of blanched vegetables. Repeat layers.
Place ingredients for brining solution in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, boiling until sugar is dissolved. Divide evenly between the two jars. Allow jars to sit at room temperature until cooled, tighten lids securely, then refrigerate for 2 full days before using, turning occasionally. Serve chilled. Will keep for several months.
Consult a professional canning resource for details on water bath canning for mixed vegetable pickles, as this is not a recipe written for canning. You should, however, sterilize jars just as you would as if you were preparing these for canning. I used 2 quart sized Mason jars. Depending on the containers you use, you may not use all of the vinegar mixture. For more tang, reduce the sugar to 2 cups.
Use fresh, crisp, raw vegetables, such as green or yellow wax beans, baby carrots, cauliflower florets, whole small okra pods, red, yellow or orange sliced sweet bell pepper, cubed eggplant, sliced squash or zucchini, 1-inch celery rib sections, whole button mushrooms, mild hot peppers, pearl onions. Cut vegetables so that all are about the same size. Add in some already pickled veggies for variety, such as whole pepperoncini, black and green olives, jalapenos or okra.
Cucumber Pepper Variation:
Use 7 to 8 cups of unpeeled cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick, mixed with only sliced onions and sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and/or green) or mild hot peppers.